IP Forwarding – Use Windows 7 Professional as a Router

You can make your Windows 7 Pro OS to work as a Router, in case that you have multiple computers in different networks, and you need to make internet accessible for those computers. Well, situation like this is explained here.

SITUATION: Do you have ADSL ( or any DSL ) connection to the Internet via ADSL or CableModem ( in case you don’t have router ). You are using a computer or possibly two (via ICS) on the Internet.

Networks have expanded that and want to maximize on all the computers have it and still do not have a router. Furthermore, there are two different networks to be joined into a singleunit and have it (investment in buying a new router are higher than investments in two LANcards (NIC)). Take a computer with the operating system Windows 7 Pro as a Router. Network need to be connected in a similar manner as shown below. The figure shows a simple example, but you may have in network for ten computers (connected to the switch).

The computer on it has Windows 7 Pro add two LAN cards (NIC – Network Interface Card). Install the drivers and check the functionality of the embedded LAN card. Now the computer have 3 LAN cards.

Configuration on Windows 7 Pro (which we use as a router) to perform the following: Configure NIC – Router (Windows 7 Professional)

NIC 1 (connect it to the modem)

IP address:192.168.1.2 Netmask: 255.255.255.0 Gateway: 192.168.1.1 (means that this is the IP address when configuring the modem)

NIC-2 (connected to the switch or network 10.11.11.0)

IP address: 10.11.11.1 Netmask: 255.255.255.0 Gateway: leave blank

NIC-3 (connected to the switch or the network 192.168.10.0)

IP address: 192.168.10.1 Netmask: 255.255.255.0 Gateway: leave blank

NETWORK 192.168.1.0

This is a network that is used between the modem and the Windows 7 Pro as a Router to the Internet.

For this, network uses NIC-1 and Modem

NETWORK 10.11.11.0

Computers that are on the network 10.11.11.0 configure as follows:

For this network using NIC-2 and all other computers connected to it (Max: 252 PC)

IP: 10.11.11.2 … 254 (mean use numbers between 2 and 254 in the last octets)

Networkmask: 255.255.255.0

Gateway: 10.11.11.1 (this is the IP address of the NIC-2, which is located on the Windows 7 Pro Router on which this network is connected).

NETWORK 192.168.10.0

Computers that are on the 192.168.10.0 network, configure the following way:

For this network using NIC-3 and all other computers connected to it (Max: 252 PC)

IP: 192.168.10.2 ………… 254 (mean use numbers between 2 and 254 in the last octets)

Networkmask: 255.2555.255.0

Gateway: 192.168.10.1 (this is the IP address of the NIC-3, which is located on the Windows 7 Pro Router on which this network is connected)

When we have completed the configuration of the LAN card (NIC s) and all computers networked and connected with UTP cabling, we’re going to configure IP forwarding on the computer with Windows 7 Pro (used as a router).

1 – First Click Windows Button – in the Search field > type regedit

2 – Opens a WindowRegistryEditor. Immediately go to making backup of the registry, in case something goes wrong because it is dangerous here, “tamper” if you do not know what you’re doing.

So to backupregistry: File => Export => in the “Export Range” turn on “All” and then name the exported registry backup file, for example: “BekapRegistry”

When you create a BackupCopy of the registry, you can start with the search that found this location PATH: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Tcpip \ Parameters

Do the following: Edit > Find > type IPEnableRouter

Will show you a window in which you inform the program to search a given word

The program will be the first step to find a particular word (but this is not the place we want to look at the bottom of the path path)

Let’s click a second time again on Edit => FindNext … again not our place

Let’s click a third time again on Edit => FindNext … again not our place

Let’s click again for the fourth time on Edit => FindNext … Voila! It is our position that we were looking for.

Note the PATH trail in the lower part of the window. Must be the same as: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SYSTEM \ CurrentControlSet \ Services \ Tcpip \ Parameters

Now that we are positioned on the right side of the window to the desired word , that is the Key IPEnableRouter, let it click the right mouse button and the Modify option.

Opens up a dialog box titled “EditDWORD Value” in which we need instead of the number zero (0) to enter the unit (1). Click the OK button and close all the windows and then restart the computer.

After this networkconfiguration, you should be able to shareprinter, a file between twonetworks, as well as all of the computers could connect to the Internet. (Provided of course that the computer with Windows 7 Pro OS that serve as a router always active and turned On).

Note: To secure the acceptance of all the changes, you should restart all devices in the network (all computers, switchs, etc …)

Carefully

In this tutorial you use RegistryEditor and there is a real danger that something wrong and disable the operation of Windows 7. Carefully make a change in it. Any changes you make will be recorded automatically without your consent and warnings.